I'M DRAINED.....

Thanks, Homebird, I've got my philosophical head on at the moment. Some poor folk have homes flooded, like Spritz not long ago, and that is far worse. My plants will grow again or I will just have to make more visits to the garden centres/nurseries :)

Your very positive attitude is a lesson for us all.

It is so sad to see your garden under water and I hope the problem will soon be resolved.

You made such a great blog about it though and took some lovely photos.

I agree with Wildrose, your positive attitude IS a lesson to us all. Sorry Gee, to see that it has happened yet again. I have a mole ripping my lawn to shreds at the moment, molehill no. 7 is being built as we speak. In the grand scheme of things it's a minor inconvenience. Good luck and hoping there is a permanent solution in place soon. Lovely photos of the birds, presented with a great sense of humour .... under the circumstances.

Oh Gee....so sorry to read this, I've just watched the program on the Somerset floods last year.....and now your garden again! I do hope they can get things sorted out once and for all....
Love the bird pics though.....especially the Nuthatch, what a little beauty!

I can't believe you sound so calm. I'd be tearing my hair out if it were me!
I do hope the promised resolutions get done sooner rather than later.

I am so sorry to be looking at your lovely garden covered in water yet again, your ability to stay so calm does you credit, I hope sincerely someone soon will do something about it,the humour and the photographs are wonderful as per.......

So sorry to see the problem returned worse than ever after the work on Tuesday Gee :o( Pressed like because your photos of the birds were lovely and the ones of your ornaments showed you had kept your sense of humour somehow through it all so you definitely deserved a like,
Do hope the matter is resolved properly soon :o)

Oh Gee!, I'd be devastated if this was my garden, how do you remain so cheerful? Your bird pictures are a joy. I do hope you get sorted out soon.

It looks as if the engineers started at the wrong end of the problem. If there are several blockages I would think it would make sense to clear the one further down the system first or are they still trying to find out where they are? I am shocked that the problem is so much worse this time. Fingers crossed it is resolved soon. I love your bird photos and delighted to see the nuthatch. Is that a topiary bird holding up the bird table. I had not noticed it before. One compensation is that you can clearly see the structure of the garden in this mini Vienna. It still looks good and lets hope the water is not carrying any nasty weeds seeds as happened when Spritz was flooded. I'm pleased the birds are rallying round you too.

Like Janey we to watched the somerset floods last night on TV and felt so sorry for all those families ,Gill I know how angry you must have felt and still do at the damage to your lovely garden I truly hope the problem will be solved now it is being taken seriously , your humour will always see you through plus having your lovely family there to help and support you is the most important thing of all x ...

Oh dear.....hope it has gone away this morning.x

That's worrying for you. I hope the problem can be solved soon. I suppose it might take a while if there are several blockages :(
Maybe it will have been done before the spring.

Oh dear so sorry about your garden but lovely bird photos take care .

A sunshine day here today, thank you, kind friends. I've enjoyed a trip to the local GC with a friend and Millie and haven't yet attempted to clean the garden paths. That can wait for another day. So pleased you enjoyed the bird photos - the little nuthatch has become a regular visitor but moves very fast and difficult to catch without blurring :)

Gee, I assume GC = Garden Centre and not Golf Club.
I go to the GC on a Saturday morning, there are plants and trees there, also 19 holes ..... lol

Definitely Garden Centre, Alan, I don't know one end of a golf club from another :)

The way I play, may be I am holding the wrong end, as well ... lol. :-)) ?

How awful for you. You get the rain and we get high winds. The weather is trying us Gee.

That's so very disapointing Gee, after the relief you felt only last week. Lets hope they can really clear the blockages this time. Your bird pictures are brilliant.

We've got the wind today, Linda, but not so bad as those of you in Scotland. Hope you are all keeping safe.

Thanks, Steragram, the birds are a delight at the moment, still arriving for their food whatever the weather :)

Hope they get top the bottom of the problem and then you wont have the worry every time it rains.

Hello Gee ... I hope the water has subsided ...
another blog for GoYpedia !

I'm so sorry for you G, Heart breaking for householders/ gardeners. The "right" plants can be resilient, so keep hoping and enjoy the appreciative birds.

Yes, TT, the water has disappeared and today is bright and sunny so I have been out in the garden and scrubbed the paths with fresh water. It looks a bit better and the 'wet ditch' smell has gone! More rain forecast for this coming week so I am a little worried but hopefully it will be OK :)
I thought of you as I was out there as I had a very noisy Robin keeping an eye on me - he's usually too busy chasing all the other birds away.

Thanks, Seaburngirl and Siris - today is a good day and I have washed the silt of some of the smaller plants as I did the pathways.

oh, hell, that's heartbreaking! is there any way to spot where it came in and block it, or at least slow it down?

There is nothing I, or any of my neighbours, can do to prevent this, Fran. It has happened yet again overnight, even worse than before. It is a blockage in the drain/culvert somewhere and no one seems to want to take responsibility. I am at my wits end after a sleepless night. When I asked the council about sandbags I was told to get them from B&Q! I am lucky in that the water is not coming into my home but it is going underneath and that is worrying. My sky rocket conifer has fallen over, I guess the roots aren't deep enough to hold in the soggy soil and I have to use the 'loo' sparingly! I know I'm wishing my life away but I am so longing for summer.

Gee ... take as many photos as possible, from as many angles as you can ... you need loads of evidence to show just how high up the water rises ...

Photograph nearby roads and neighbours' gardens too ..
Good luck ...thinking of you ...

Thanks, TT, we are all taking photos, etc but the council department concerned has now closed it's email address and all concerns have to be logged on a very confusing 'new site'!! I am sure they have done it deliberately to stop people getting through. The water has gone down a lot tonight but it's the constant worry of when it will return. I think it's the lack of communication that really gets me down - it's a bit like talking to yourself :) I know the storms/rain/snow have been making life difficult for many people (lots of GoYers I expect) and I hope they are all keeping safe and warm.

Lack of communication is frustrating isn't it ... but keep thinking of extra 'evidence' that you can photograph .. anything and everything in the garden that's damaged ...
and muddy areas near to your home ..

Also, how your boots look after trudging through the muddy parts of your lawn ... all plants damaged by the floods ... you never know when the photographic evidence will come in useful ...

Hello Gee, so very sorry to see, that this still hasn't been resolved for you.

You could print your photos and deliver them to the council by hand or post them. I wonder if Citizens Advice could help, or perhaps a neighbourhood petition publicised in the local press?

I've put bits and pieces together to send to the local press but the idea of being in the public eye (even for this) feels me with dread so it remains unsent. I'm afraid I'm not a very 'up front' person! All the neighbours are looking out for each other and that helps. The environmental people came out this morning but cannot do much as the ditch is owned by the Council and the culvert/drain by Highways - although the lovely man did his best with a long rake and removed some debris. All your support cheers me up no end - thank you all, lovely people :)

Gee ... I very much understand not wishing to be in the public eye ... it seems according to the weather forecast that Kent might get yet more rain this weekend ..

... just keep on quietly taking photos ... the pictures for evidence might be very important indeed .. and, if not used, well, nothing lost ...

Write to the council informing them that you'll get a contractor in to sort the problem - and that you'll send them the bill. Once they think it'll cost them money it's amazing whta they suddenly find they can do.

Sorry to hear this Gee. I'm thinking of you as are many other goyers. Is your helpful local councillor not around and if he cannot help, you need to go back to your MP again. I'm sure councils spend more on red tape than they do on solving problems. Try not to worry too much and get some sleep even if it means going to stay with a family member for a night or two.

Oh my word! Sorry I'm so late to catch up Gee. This is heartbreaking. I'm so sorry, I would be in 'floods' of tears! You are doing well at holding it together. I hope it's sorted out soon for you. :(

Oh Gee My heart goes out to you. This water problem is just a pain for you and your neighbours. The press is there to air your troubles so go for it. The only people that will be shown up are the people responsible for not sorting out the problems for you all. Get on the radio as well, or on to Dominic (If he's still doing his programmes.) on the telly who manages to sort out this sort of thing where deaf ears exist!! Good Luck.

Update! The tankers have been and cleared the drains thoroughly all around the area and the local council are due to send someone to clear the ditch that runs behind our gardens, so progress has been made. I went out into the garden and cleared all the silt away as best I could yesterday but the greenhouse will have to wait until better weather. The seedlings/cuttings in there are all OK. I am more optimistic now that the problem has been dealt with but still keeping my fingers crossed when it rains :)

That is great news.

So pleased for you Gee that at last something has been done. Let's all hope that it sorts the problem out AT LAST!

Great news Gee. Hope the work is successful ...... time will tell. Just in time for spring as well ... Enjoy!

great to hear. hope it stays clear for a long time.